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All Canada Ontario Ottawa Château Laurier
AO Edited

Château Laurier

The mastermind behind this palatial hotel perished on the Titanic weeks before its grand opening.

Ottawa, Ontario

Added By
Michelle
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Château Laurier, looking like a European castle.   Vince Alongi
Château Laurier, looking like a European castle.   Vince Alongi
Château Laurier.   Michel Rathwell
Inside.   Ross Dunn
The foyer.   tsaiproject
The indoor pool.   Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose
Château Laurier street view   45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Foyer of the Château Laurier, the bust of Sir Wilfrid Laurier (pictured right), was created by French sculptor, Paul Chevré, who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic.   Skeezix1000
Château Laurier from the corktown bridge.   Padraic Ryan
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About

With its elegant turrets and enormous size, this riverside hotel looks like it could double as some sort of fairytale castle perched atop a European hillside. The nearby canal even makes it seem as though a moat surrounds part of what could easily be mistaken as a stoic fortress.

The architectural beauty isn’t a palace at all, though it has had a few brushes with royalty. Many famous figures, prime ministers, and royalty from around the world have stayed within this 429-room hotel.

Its insides reveal early 20th-century hand-moulded plaster decorations, original Tiffany stained-glass windows, and walls made with the finest Indiana limestone. When it first opened in 1912, a private room cost a whopping $2 per night.

Yet despite the hotel’s grandeur, its story is tinged with sadness. The palatial Château Laurier was commissioned by Charles Melville Hays, American millionaire, philanthropist, and president of the (now long-bankrupt) Grand Trunk Railway System. But unfortunately for Hays, he died before he could see the hotel’s grand opening.

Hays, anxious to return from London to Ottawa for the Château's big opening, booked a ticket on the famously ill-fated RMS Titanic. Strangely, he reportedly prophesied an “appalling disaster” on the very night the ship collided with the iceberg and met its demise. Hays sadly perished when the ship sank.

Notably, the Château has a second connection to the Titanic. Hays commissioned French sculptor, Paul Chevré, to create a bust of prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier for the hotel's official opening. The bust, still located in the hotel foyer today, was transported aboard another ship, La Bretagne. Chevré and Hays boarded the Titanic, but unlike Hays, Chevré survived the sinking.

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michelle99704

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KieferU, Kerry Wolfe, 45rpm

  • KieferU
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • 45rpm

Published

April 3, 2018

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_Laurier
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Melville_Hays#cite_note-Lord-2
  • http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/chateau-laurier-150-archives-1.4141958
Château Laurier
1 Ottawa 34
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
45.424881, -75.694856
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Tin House

Ottawa, Ontario

miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ottawa

Ottawa

Ontario

Places 16
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Tin House

Ottawa, Ontario

miles away

Ottawa Jail Hostel

Ottawa, Ontario

miles away

'Maman'

Ottawa, Ontario

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ottawa

Ottawa

Ontario

Places 16
Stories 2

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